The Paul Ryan Budget

Lots of hoopla this week over Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget proposal. Conservatives are giddy about it, left-wingers are horrified. A lot of emotions over something that’s not going to become law, but give Ryan credit for trying to move the needle in the debate over the appropriate levels of government spending.

Per Edwards, the Ryan budget doesn’t have much in the way of eliminating wasteful programs (Obamacare being an exception), instead focusing on “reform” and “fixing.” If a program has a history of waste and utter failure, the proper solution should be its elimination. Also, in 10 years, Ryan’s budget spends only 13% less than Obama’s budget proposal for the same time period. With the entitlement timebomb approaching, is that really the best our leaders can come up with?

De Rugy hits on the same points, but adds that the Medicare proposals get pushed off for 10 years, when officials needs to start focusing on those reforms a whole lot sooner. She also points out that military spending is not up for discussion. It’s hard to take any budget-cutting proposals serious when they don’t include tackling the profligacy that the Pentagon is quite infamous for.

The Keynesian policies of recent years have proven to be a failure. The country needs a drastic reversal. The Ryan plan starts the discussion, but something bolder is needed.